This is an interesting website on mesothelioma, causes and treatments.
What is interesting is that the site embraces alternative treatments, as
well as the conventional treatments. It describes various treatments
and presents choices; it is so important that people are educated as to ALL treatments, and can then choose their own individual course of action.
Friday, September 21, 2012
The Psychology of the Chemo Sales Pitch
I started wondering why people agree so readily to a toxic regimen that often leads to a painful and prolonged death. How is it that oncologists are so good at talking people into suspending their usual logical approach to life's problems, and agreeing, without question, to go willingly to their deaths? The answer, in my mind, is the very effective groundwork laid by the cancer industry, led of course by Big Pharma, that continuously brainwashes people into believing that chemo (or radiation) is their only hope against the "Big C." The Big C, in my opinion, is not Cancer, but Chemo. Chemo is the Big C to be scared of, not Cancer. Cancer can be managed and overcome through natural, non-toxic approaches. Chemo is not always survivable. Just look at what it does to people externally. We have been trained to overlook the hair loss and the physical ravages of chemo. Chemo patients have been trained to be proud of their hairlessness and weight loss, because they are brave survivors. We have all been trained to wear the ribbons, to walk for the cure. The key to the Chemo Sales Pitch: the cancer industry has tapped into that brave gene that we all have deep down. The trained sales force appeals to the need of people to rally, to try to beat unbeatable odds, and to summon up the courage to "fight the good fight." People, on some sub-conscious level, like to be thought of as martyrs. The cancer industry stumbled upon a great motivator, the "fight-flight response," and coupling that with the "fear factor," they have found that most people, when confronted with their scary death "statistics," will choose to fight.
When I challenged one of several oncologists I consulted about the percentages of my survival that he bandied about, he had no answer. When he recommended chemo, I asked him, "what else do you have?", his response was, "that's it. If you don't do chemo, I don't treat you." Hmmmm. That is odd. Why wouldn't he want to work with me to try to find something else, something non-toxic. Isn't he concerned about ME, about my health? When I met with his nutritionist, I asked what foods I should eat or avoid. The response was, "just follow the food pyramid." WHAT????? Are you kidding me? With that, I turned to my husband and said, "we are out of here." My husband later remarked that the look on the oncologist's face reminded him of the disappointed look of a used car salesman who just lost a sale. No wonder. This oncologist did not count on me exercising my "flight" response. I am not a martyr. I am not going to fight the good fight. The fight against chemo is a losing proposition. The match is fixed before it starts. There is no shot against chemo. Professional athletes cannot survive chemo; how can ordinary people survive it? I am scared of chemo. It is toxic and it just does not work. When my fight-flight response was activated, I chose flight, and I fled for my life. Which, by the way, I still have. Just say no to chemo.
I started wondering why people agree so readily to a toxic regimen that often leads to a painful and prolonged death. How is it that oncologists are so good at talking people into suspending their usual logical approach to life's problems, and agreeing, without question, to go willingly to their deaths? The answer, in my mind, is the very effective groundwork laid by the cancer industry, led of course by Big Pharma, that continuously brainwashes people into believing that chemo (or radiation) is their only hope against the "Big C." The Big C, in my opinion, is not Cancer, but Chemo. Chemo is the Big C to be scared of, not Cancer. Cancer can be managed and overcome through natural, non-toxic approaches. Chemo is not always survivable. Just look at what it does to people externally. We have been trained to overlook the hair loss and the physical ravages of chemo. Chemo patients have been trained to be proud of their hairlessness and weight loss, because they are brave survivors. We have all been trained to wear the ribbons, to walk for the cure. The key to the Chemo Sales Pitch: the cancer industry has tapped into that brave gene that we all have deep down. The trained sales force appeals to the need of people to rally, to try to beat unbeatable odds, and to summon up the courage to "fight the good fight." People, on some sub-conscious level, like to be thought of as martyrs. The cancer industry stumbled upon a great motivator, the "fight-flight response," and coupling that with the "fear factor," they have found that most people, when confronted with their scary death "statistics," will choose to fight.
When I challenged one of several oncologists I consulted about the percentages of my survival that he bandied about, he had no answer. When he recommended chemo, I asked him, "what else do you have?", his response was, "that's it. If you don't do chemo, I don't treat you." Hmmmm. That is odd. Why wouldn't he want to work with me to try to find something else, something non-toxic. Isn't he concerned about ME, about my health? When I met with his nutritionist, I asked what foods I should eat or avoid. The response was, "just follow the food pyramid." WHAT????? Are you kidding me? With that, I turned to my husband and said, "we are out of here." My husband later remarked that the look on the oncologist's face reminded him of the disappointed look of a used car salesman who just lost a sale. No wonder. This oncologist did not count on me exercising my "flight" response. I am not a martyr. I am not going to fight the good fight. The fight against chemo is a losing proposition. The match is fixed before it starts. There is no shot against chemo. Professional athletes cannot survive chemo; how can ordinary people survive it? I am scared of chemo. It is toxic and it just does not work. When my fight-flight response was activated, I chose flight, and I fled for my life. Which, by the way, I still have. Just say no to chemo.
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